1. 2013 ACORN Conference
Delta Beauséjour, Moncton NB
Workshop Title: Opportunities and Options for Organic Dairy in the Maritimes
Speaker(s) & their titles:Roger Henry, Agriculture &Agri-Food Canada(PEI) and
Alyson Chisholm, Windy Hill Farm (NB)
ExecutiveSummary
Alyson Chisholm has been farming in McKees Mills since 2009 when she and her
partner bought the land and converted it into a working farm. The farm was certified
organic in 2012 and has been producing vegetables for their Community Shared
Agriculture program (CSA) since 2011. Prior to arriving in New Brunswick, Alyson and
Will spent over 15 years raising crops and livestock in both British Columbia and
California. The couple produce certified organic fruits and vegetables and raise dairy
and meat goats. In this presentation Alyson talks about her experience raising goats for
both meat and milk production. Alyson is followed by Roger Henry, a small producer
from PEI, who discusses some of the barriers small milk producers face in the
Maritimes. The presentation was followed by a short Q and A session.
Detailed Notes
DAIRY GOAT MANAGEMENT with Alyson Chisholm
On a global scale, goat milk production represents about 2% of total milk production.
Over the past decade, production has fluctuated between about 11.4 and 12.4 billion
tonnes while, in recent years, production has remained fairly stable.
Why keep goats?
Lower production - 3-6 litres per day
Milk is easier to digest than cow's. The milk provided by these dairy goats is quite
similar to cow milk in both taste and nutrient profile. However, goat milk has 13%
less lactose than cow milk and contains smaller milk-fat particles, making it
easier to digest. In many cases, people with cow milk allergies have no trouble
consuming goat milk.
Goat milk is also widely used in the production of other dairy products such as
cheese, yogurt, ice cream, etc. However, goat milk is not merely consumed as an
alternative to cow milk.
Smaller animal so they are easier to handle
Browsers and grazers
The market for goat milk, unlike the market for cow milk, is not subject to any
supply management regulations.
Contribute to land management - love browsing
Eat left overs
Breeds of Goats

2. 2013 ACORN Conference
Delta Beauséjour, Moncton NB
Dairy:
Alpine - straight ears: Considered one of the Swiss breeds but its origin is
believed to be mainly Swiss and French influence. The Alpine is medium to large
in size and is considered a good milker with long lactations. A good doe can
easily produce 3 or more litres of milk per day over a 10-month lactation. It is a
very popular breed and is adaptable to any climate. The Alpine breed has many
varieties and therefore can be of almost any color or combination of colors.
Nubian - floppy ears: This goat was developed in England mainly as a dual
purpose animal, i.e. for milk and meat. English Swiss type does were crossed
with bucks from Eastern countries such as India, Egypt and Ethiopia. Any color
or combination of colors is acceptable and the breed is characterized by its
Roman nose and long, wide pendulous ears. The Nubian is the most popular
breed in North America today and multiple births of 3 and 4 kids are common.
The Nubian is also more heat tolerant and less cold tolerant than Swiss breeds
which may have something to do with its pendulous ears. They tend to be more
out of season breeders than Swiss and therefore provide winter milk more easily.
They are also favoured by buyers who purchase for meat because of their
meatier carcass. Milk production is a little less than Swiss breeds but a good
Nubian doe can average 2.5 litres per day over a 10-month lactation.
Meat:
Goat meat, or chevon, is delicious stewed, baked, grilled, barbecued, or made into
sausage or jerky. It is low in fat and cholesterol and a flavour somewhat like venison,
but does not have a gamey taste. Eaten young, it is similar to prime veal, as the animal
matures the meat becomes more like a beef/venison cross.
Goat meat is 50-60% lower in fat than similarly prepared beef, but has a similar protein
content. USDA has also reported that saturated fat in cooked goat meat is 40% less
than that of chicken, even with the skin removed.
Goat breeds that Alyson has raised:
Boer
Kiko
Goats can be kept on one acre of land or even less. Access to browse plants (shrubs
and trees) provides necessary roughage in the diet in addition to shade. Loose housing,
like a loafing shed, is acceptable as long as the animals have a dry, draft-free place to
rest during the cold, inclement weather. Stout fencing is very important, since goats are
curious and enjoy exploring their surroundings. Of all types of livestock, goats are
probably the most intelligent. They form strong, emotional bonds with the goat herder,
and therefore make wonderful pets for both adults and children.
Housing

3. 2013 ACORN Conference
Delta Beauséjour, Moncton NB
Goats don't like rain
Need good housing both because they don’t like rain and they are good at
escaping and damaging things... make it indestructible
Separate pens for breeding and kidding
Feeder- food up high and bedded on hay pack. As the pack grows the feed box
gets closer. Feed pack for heat in winter and to produce compost.
Chickens are free to scratch in bins
Feeder bars are at an angle to discourage the animals from wasting food
Fencing
Very important to have a good fence
o two fences, one as a barrier and one as a deterrent
Feeding
Ruminants - 4 stomachs - chew cud - converts plant fibre which is indigestible to
humans
Healthy rumen makes a healthy goat
Number one:
Feed the rumen
o hay and browse
o concentrates - too much can upset but it boosts
o ruminants make their own proteins so they don’t need supplements
o buy good hay or grow your own
Health Maintenance:
Goats are usually very healthy, except for a few digestive problems. Systems of illness
are listlessness, lack of appetite, diarrhea or scours, bloat, coughing or sneezing, runny
nose, runny or inflamed eyes, fever or just plain "blahish" or acting more quiet or
different than usual. Lack of weight gain or weight loss may indicate illness or perhaps a
heavy load of parasites.
high forage diet
access to clean water
access to salt and minerals - will find minerals if you don't feed them - eg trees!
regular hoof trimming
good milking to avoid hygiene
keep pastures free of hazards
vaccines–speaker has no experience with them
o probiotics: some people capture the cud of a good animal and put it into
the mouths of a sick goat. BIOAG minerals have some probiotics.

4. 2013 ACORN Conference
Delta Beauséjour, Moncton NB
Internal Parasite Management
Internal parasites management – Goats have fewer than sheep
Grazing animals will always carry a certain amount of parasites
Rotational grazing is key; rotate with poultry
feed hay in the morning and graze after dew
Early kidding means kids are larger so they have better resistance to parasites.
Herbal wormers: mix of red clover, thyme, oregano, pumpkin seed, garlic,
hyssop, and wormwood.
o use carefully
Chemical wormers when necessary... if there is a problem. After fecal testing.
Worms can lead animals to become anaemic.
Breed for resistance - select the goats that do the best in your system. Speaker
has been selecting goats that live best with hands-off methods.
Goat milk is nearly always pure white in color. The small size of the fat globules and the
soft curd are its primary characteristics. Because of these qualities, goat milk is often
recommended for infants, pregnant women, people suffering from liver disease,
allergies or ulcers, and anyone else with digestive problems.
Goat milk is healthful, nutritious, and flavourful. To the surprise of many, goat milk
tastes no different from whole cow milk. A main difference is that goat milk digests
within twenty minutes versus an hour or more for cow milk. It also contains desirable
amounts of nicotinic and pantothenic acid, riboflavin, thiamine, and niacin, It has an
alkaline reaction as opposed to the acid reaction of cow milk which helps to soothe your
stomach.
The lactation period of the milking doe is 305 days. During this period, the average doe
in the herd will produce 1500-1700 pounds of milk, or about ½ gallon or more per day
on average.
Some cheeses made from goat milk include cottage cheese, Neufchatel cream cheese,
Coulommier, French Roquefort, Norwegian gjetost, Greek feta, chevre, and numerous
other soft and hard cheeses. Excellent yogurt can also be prepared from goat milk, and
dairies equipped with a cream separator can produce a very tasty butter.
Milking
Alyson hand milks
Principles of milking
o goats are seasonal breeders
o some goats will milk for 2-3 years
o can milk once or twice per day

5. 2013 ACORN Conference
Delta Beauséjour, Moncton NB
o
o
keep kids on doe and you can milk when you want to
good hygiene
Good Milk Quality
Keep containers clean
Wash and dry udder before milking
Strip out a few squirts
Manage the udders even if the kid is on
Filter the milk
Cool asap
Keeptrack of milk
After 5 days you will smell it
Cheese Making
The art of cheesemaking can be exciting and fun. Understanding all the ingredients and
how they work will help simplify this process. You can make cheese at home and many
other things as well. Real savings can be realized when you no longer need to purchase
those items from the store.
All cheese is basically milk, cultures, salt, and rennet. What makes one cheese different
from the others is the temperature the milk is heated to, the type of culture added and
the way it is processed. Temperature, humidity, rennet, cultures and whether it is eaten
fresh or aged will determine the type of cheese you will have.
Milk is the most important ingredient in cheese making. It is important when making
cheese to be as clean as you can. Milk is a perfect medium for growing bacteria. Good
or bad! Make sure your pots are clean and dry. You will need a stainless steel or
unchipped enamel pan, a thermometer for taking temperatures, a long knife for cutting
curds and a strainer.
List of cheese in order of easiest to most difficult:
ricotta
mozzarella
chevre
feta
crottin
gouda
bluecastello, fourmed’ambert
cheddar, bri, camembert, gorgon
Costs
$150-$450
50-60 bales of first cut hay/goat/year - 1.50 - 2.50

6. 2013 ACORN Conference
Delta Beauséjour, Moncton NB
25 bales second cut per goat per year 3-350
200 kg of outs/g/y .43$ /kg
Milk supplies
Equipment
Cheese making ‘butchering fees’
Your time - 180-200 hours/including cheese and butchering
References:
Natural Goat Care by Pat Coleby
Living with Worms by COG
fiascofarm.com
Goat Keep magazine
DAIRY MARKETING AND OPPORTUNITIES with Roger Henry
The dairy goat industry in Eastern Canada remains quite small while information is
scarce. According to the 2001 Census of Agriculture, there were 306 goat farms (all
types) and 3,741 goats reported in Atlantic Canada. Of the Atlantic Provinces, Nova
Scotia had the largest number of goats.
Opportunities for cattle
o require quota in Canada
o 1kg quota costs $25,000
 allows farm to sell 1 kg of butterfat per day
o If you currently own quota and are interested in processing milk, the initial
considerations are:
 market -where
 processing -who is going to
 distribution - where will you sell it
Markets:
Number one thing to consider
o do you have a market
o do you have a product that you can market profitably
Processing
Federal vs Provincial
o provincial limits your market to the one province
Do you hire out processing or build your own plant?

7. 2013 ACORN Conference
Delta Beauséjour, Moncton NB
o
o
o
o
You need a licensing body to confirm your plan
Require your own license. 2 types of license: on-farm and commercial
On-farm - process your own but you can’t buy on
 in PEI you can do what you want with your own milk
 in NS and NB you have to sell it to the milk board
 doesn’t physically leave the farm
Commercial
 process milk from other farms
 as the industry is more vertically integrated it gets harder to get a
commercial license
Distribution
how will you distribute it
are other companies willing to distribute
can your product be transported with other foods
how will you keep the temperatures correct
increase in cost can be harmful to your market
o it’s important to have costs figures
Production will be the easy part
Milking will be the least of your worries - both are not for the faint of heart
Marketing will always be a constant challenge.
This presentation was followed by a brief Q &A
Goat feed
o Alyson - more hands off in terms of feeding for milk production
 feeds loose minerals and salts - doesn’t use a block because it
hurts their tongues
Alyson has 7 does
o thinks you would need around 2 for a family
o is now crossing with meat does for meat
o 5 are milkers
o 2 are meat makers
Processing facility o have that inspected and built to the standard
 Steve Owen - from NS designs plans for processing facility.
 Ask other producers how they got inspected.
 For a dairy parlour have the inspector come out and help during the
process.
A good study on goat dairy production:
http://www.agmrc.org/media/cms/goatprofile_e_63BB6B8CD67FA.pdf